Lindine secures third UCI victory in Granogue

Justin Lindine (Bikereg.com-Joe's Garage) secured a dominating victory at UCI C2 Granogue Cross held in Wilmington, Delware located in the Mid Atlantic. He opened an early-race lead ahead of his closest competitors Mark Batty (SpiderTech p/b C10) in second and Mitch Hoke (Clif Bar Development) in third.

Lindine won three UCI races this season including double victories in Providence last weekend and he is currently leading the New England Professional Cyclo-cross series. "This win is my third of the season," Lindine told Cyclingnews. "After winning in Providence, it is my big goal to hang on to that lead. I'm not as focused on the Mid Atlantic series because I will have to miss a couple of the up coming weekends."

The elite men lined up to race what has been affectionately known as the crown jewel of Mid Atlantic cyclo-cross. The event is traditionally held at the Dupont Estate, a private and scenic property that boasts 400 acres of rolling green hills and wooded sections. Riders race over a technically challenging course, well known for its off camber hillside corners, muddy sections through the woods and a steep run up to the stone silo tower.

Top riders in the men's field included Lindine along with Troy Wells (Clif Bar), brothers Jesse, Luke and Nick Keough (Champion System-Keough Cross), Mark Batty (SpiderTech p/b C10), Mike Carrigan (LaPierre Canada-Giro-Shimano), Adam Myerson (SmartShop-MOB p/b Ridley) and Derek St John (Stevens p/b The Cyclery), among others.

Lindine had a slightly slower start but quickly worked his way into the top three positions through the wooded section on the first lap. He noted two riders with a gap that included Batty and Jerome Townsend (Smartstop). He caught the pair of race leaders and moved ahead of them on the shallow ride-up on the second lap.

"It is typical for me to start further back, I just don't normally start as fast as everyone else," Lindine said. "Two riders opened a little bit of a gap and I knew I needed to bridge up to them. I was surprised that the rest of the chase group wasn't able to make it up. They weren't that far behind so I wanted to keep the pressure on."

"I was motoring pretty well on the pavement stretch but overall the course was pretty hilly," he said. "There was a run or ride that had stairs on it. The section after that was tough so as long as you kept the gas on, it was a good spot to make time. That was a good opportunity for me to gain time on the second lap."

Lindine gained a sizable lead ahead of Batty and Townsend and Hoke along with Wells, who started strong but lost positions as the race progressed. He kept the pressure on and gained a one minute lead ahead of his competitors by the last lap.

"When I got 15 seconds I was happy with that," Lindine said. "I knew that anyone behind me would have to be pretty aggressive and take chances to try and close that gap. As it turned out I was able to gain more time as the race went on and that took some pressure off. I was keeping a careful eye on the riders who were chasing and I didn't want to make any mistakes."

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